1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to methods of device simulation. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for simulating the surface contours of a layer of material to be formed over a base structure using a string algorithm.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is often desirable to simulate the surface contours of a layer of material which is to be formed over a base surface. For example, in the semiconductor art, it is desirable to provide an accurate method of simulating the surface contours of a material, such as a polysilicon layer or an oxide layer, which is to be formed over a silicon substrate. A simulation of the surface topology of the new material would provide a semiconductor process engineer with valuable information, such as whether the additional formation of layers on top of the simulated layer is feasible.
Methods for simulating the surface contours of a layer of material formed over a base surface are known in the prior art. The SUPREM IV computer modeling algorithm, developed at Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif., is an example of one such known method. A detailed discussion of the SUPREM IV method is provided in a paper titled SUPREM IV EXAMPLES, by Mark E. Law, Conor Rafferty and Robert W. Dutton, Stanford University Press, July 1987.